VG247 has been informed that Sony is aiming to release the PlayStation 4 before the Xbox 720 next Christmas, and that Sony is planning to invite certain developers to reveal meetings in the US in May and June.

It’s also been told that the publisher is aiming to get the console out before Microsoft’s next generation Xbox.

The design goalposts for PS4, including specs, were in place at least two years ago, they were told.Their source said that Sony is “confident” it will have the console at market ahead of the next generation Xbox next Christmas.

“Sony are completely in the belief that they have the jump on Microsoft this time,” they said. “You should be watching the timing of next year’s E3 keynotes, and who’s going to go first.”

A second source said this morning that all next-generation systems will be in place “by 2014″.

Sony has apparently already put its favoured partners in the frame as to PlayStation 4.

While “most developers” will be fully briefed “by the end of this year,” some have been invited to events in May and June in the US.

Another source has told them that more information is going to be issued about PS4 to developers under NDA in May.

They were told today that Crytek was scaling its tech on the assumption that PS4 was going to be using a 24-core Cell processor as opposed to the eight-core unit in PS3. The studio was forced to halt development and start afresh when it was informed PlayStation 4 won’t be using Cell at all.

Indications are that PlayStation 4 will provide a development environment similar to that of the Xbox consoles and PC.

In addition VG247 has been told that elements of Vita’s launch hardware were changed to ensure that PS4 and Vita will be able to connect in a similar style to Nintendo’s Wii U and its controller – due for release this year – with Vita’s being used to control PS4 games with both twin sticks and touch.